Autistic women assemble! #3

[Nepmarthiturn]

This is a thread for autistic women to connect, chat, vent, laugh, share and seek advice and solidarity (small talk and word mincing not required). 😊

Any autistic women newly finding the thread are very welcome to join us (even if awaiting diagnosis) but we'd be grateful if others could leave us alone please…

Previous threads:

1

http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4777843-autistic-women-assemble

#2
http://www.mumsnet.com/Talk/_chat/4865805-autistic-women-assemble-2

Happy birthday @toffee1000 🎂🍾🍰

Enjoy your day!

Have a great birthday @toffee1000

Happiest of birthday's @toffee1000 and enjoy your meal. Pasta is our absolute favourite here, too.

Hmm, speaking of pasta, does anyone else absolutely hate it?

I can't eat it. My mouth feels too full of chewy, tasteless, mushy beige stuff. I admit I have quite a few food/sensory issues, but still, pasta is just gross 😂

I'm ok with pasta but feel that way about rice pudding or custard.

I love homemade rice pudding!

Agreed! Pasta is weird.

My safe food is pasta olive oil and salt

Bit desperate here- has anyone got tips to help with smell sensitivity?
i got a d&v bug and been really sick. I’m over the worst but still nauseous and the smells are driving me crazy - everything is too strong. My husband’s deodorant, even our regular laundry smell. Please help. I’ve stuffed tissue paper up my nose in desperation!

Do you have a "safe smell"? If so, dip your finger in it and poke it up your nose. It's a bit gross, but means that the nice smell is in front of the horrid ones.

Thanks. I need no smell. It’s strange..normally laundry is an ok smell but my brain has gone a bit haywire. Nothing feels safe! It’s worse when the nausea is setting in. Hopefully it’ll pass soon.

All of my masking instincts wanted to filter that answer, then I remembered which thread I was on and figured it would actually make sense here.

Unless you can fill your attention with other inputs, like bright lights or loud sounds (though I'm not sure that's any better), you're probably best finding a "not too laundry smelly" t shirt or a soft toy and putting it under your nose to filter the smells a bit. That looks a bit odd though. It's hard to block an irritation once you're hyper aware of it.

thanks yes I think you’re right. I made mistake of changing my PJs and the clean smell is too much. Which sounds awful. But hopefully you know what I mean. I’ll search for a less fresh item of clothing for under my nose. I’m at home so I don’t care about looking weird!

No I totally get that. I have a pile of "not clean but not too dirty" clothes most of the time, in case I need a "safe smell" day when I'm in burnout. My own smell is usually ok (there's a limit but it's about 3 days' summer wear before it's actually offensive). I have no idea why people deliberately choose scent boosters in fabric conditioners.

I don’t get that either. The absolute worse thing was this air freshener spray that went off automatically in the toilet at my old job. It was so frequent and impossible to avoid. Artificial scents are the worst.
But at the moment I can’t even stomach the smell of chips. Or anything. I just want to sleep.

I didn't get a job I went for. I would have been fab but knew I bumbled in the interview.

I'm so stuck under achieving.

@Getoutgetout any better today?

I'm 68 today!
How did that happen?
🤣

Happy birthday 🎂

@TheShellBeach you got a new government for your birthday 🎂

Yes!
Didn't manage to unseat my SNP MP though.

So sorry to read this @ThreeBeanChilli I can relate, I'm useless in interviews.

Would you consider having some interview coaching?

Happy birthday@TheShellBeach Have a lovely day/evening 🍰🥳 🎁

@InMySpareTime yes thank you! The nausea has gone and the massive smell sensitivity seems to have gone with it back to my normal levels which are more liveable with. Honestly it was crazy- even the washing up liquid smelt so much stronger. Awful. Just shows how debilitating sensory sensitivities can be though.